With the game on the line Friday at Guss Schmiedt Field, Manteca and Granite Bay put the ball in the hands of their best players while banking on getting the push they needed up front.

Ultimately, it was Bryson Davis’ 1-yard plunge on fourth-and-goal with 4:01 left that decided this Sac-Joaquin Section Division II quarterfinal, as defending champion Manteca downed fifth-seeded Granite Bay for the third time in the last calendar year, 21-14.

The latest win sends the Buffaloes (8-3) to a much-desired rematch with No. 1 St. Mary’s.

“We knew it was going to be a battle,” Manteca coach Mark Varnum said. “They’re a great program, and all three of them were nail-biters. Started slow in the first half, but awesome adjustments in the second half and the kids stepped up big time.”

Victory was not secured until the defense held in the red zone. On fourth-and-3 from the Manteca 18, the

Grizzlies (6-6) looked to Cal commit Carter Jackson (12 rushes, 40 yards) to extend the drive with a run up the middle, but he was buried at the line of scrimmage by Isaiah White. The Buffaloes got the ball back with 1:11 to go, and Garrison Reis kneeled it out.

Round 3 of Manteca-Granite Bay started out as a continuation of the defensive donnybrook from their previous meeting won by Manteca, 15-0. This time, it was the Grizzlies who had the edge in the trenches — at least for a half.

They led 7-0 at halftime, as freshman quarterback Dominic Cattolico hooked up with Carson Perry-Smith for a 24-yard touchdown on the first play of the second quarter. That capped a 90-yard, 8-minute drive aided by three costly penalties committed by Manteca and a big fourth-and-12 conversion in which Cattolico (9-of-13 passing, 91 yards) hit Jason Hill Jr. (five receptions, 63 yards) for a 12-yard gain.

The Buffaloes were flagged for six penalties worth 65 yards in the first half.

“We are a young, young team,” Varnum said. “We’re getting better and we’re getting smarter, but we have to be more disciplined, especially in November.”

Meanwhile, the Granite Bay defense able to hold Manteca to 50 first-half yards. Davis, who missed the non-league affair on Aug. 25 with an elbow injury, had just seven rushes for 24 yards.

“Honestly, we came out super lethargic and super slow,” said Bryson McMichael, the Buffaloes’ 6-foot-4, 310-pound left tackle. “At halftime, we got challenged by our offensive coordinator (Brian Rohles) and our O-line coach (Dan Eavenson). We came out in the second half and got it done.”

Davis got loose for three touchdowns in the second half, finishing with 143 yards on 28 carries. He accounted for the bulk of Manteca’s 199 yards of offense.

“No matter how many times you tell them, ‘It’s going to be tougher than the last time, it’s going to be tougher than the last time,’ they gotta see it,” Varnum said. “Granite Bay came out firing, especially up front. Our guys were just able to wear them down.”

Davis scored Manteca’s first points of the game with a 19-yard run on fourth-and-1 on the opening drive of the second half, and he later found the end zone again from 6 yards out on third down.

Senior linebacker Tommy Perea played a big part in turning the tide, intercepting a pass intended for Joe Cattolico on the Granite Bay 35.

“I saw the quarterback look at the wide receiver and give him a little hand motion,” Perea said. “I knew that meant an out route because they tried to hit me with that in the first or second quarter. I read it, jumped it and got the interception.”

Sophomore Quinn Martinez also picked off a pass, leaping in front of Joe Cattolico near the away sideline at around the 10-yard line on the last play of the first half.

Granite Bay tied the score on the first play of the fourth quarter when sophomore Isaiah Ene (10 rushes, 75 yards) rambled into the end zone from 10 yards out.

The Buffs responded with their best drive, which chewed 7 minutes, 51 seconds off the clock. They converted three fourth downs on the series, including one on a rare pass play.

Reis dropped back for passes on four occasions and was sacked twice, but the other two were fourth-down completions. Coming out of a timeout, Manteca was on the Grizzlies’ 23-yard line facing fourth-and-third with 6:30 to go.

The play was meant for Reis (2-2, 25 yards) to target 6-2 tight end Joshua Mellion, but Granite Bay had him well covered. The quarterback then went to option two, delivering a pinpoint pass through a narrow window to Josiah Sagapolu for a 14-yard connection.

Three plays later, Reis set up Davis’ go-ahead touchdown with a designed run that went for 6 yards.

“We don’t do it often, but when we do it’s in big moments,” Varnum said of Reis’ clutch throw. Garrison made a hell of a read — actually, it was his second read — he made a great throw. And Josiah, man, that’s a huge catch for him. He’s played guard in half of the games this season and we slid him to tight end tonight. Huge play in a huge moment.

“We ran that play the first time in 2017 and we’ve practiced it ever since,” Varnum added. “And I think it’s the first time we’ve ran it since then.”

Now, Manteca has the potential to play two revenge games. Getting past St. Mary’s (10-1) — a 38-0 winner over No. 9 Vacaville — won’t be easy. They previously faced off on Sept. 1, with the Rams rolling, 44-7.

The Buffaloes lost the following week to Rocklin 35-14 in the NorCal Honor Bowl. The second-seeded Thunder (10-1) are in the other semifinal and awaits the outcome of today’s Jesuit-Del Oro game.

“We want this,” Varnum said. “One game at a time, but we want to redeem ourselves. If we keep winning, it’s a chance to redeem two performances that we’re not happy with. Hopefully we get a better result next week.”